


Comet

by Sidonie



Series: The King's Squire [15]
Category: Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-17
Updated: 2011-06-17
Packaged: 2017-10-20 12:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/212623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidonie/pseuds/Sidonie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jon and Zahir go stargazing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comet

**Author's Note:**

> Can be read as slash. Can also be read as stand alone, but is part of my King's Squire series (details explained in my fic "Proposal").

Jon was bad enough, thought Zahir, when he worked his squire to death during the day. Waking him up in the middle of the night and dragging him through the dark to a cold, wet wilderness in the middle of nowhere (or as close to nowhere as could be within riding distance of the palace) was straining the edges of his squire's civility.

“Where in Mithros' name are we going?” Zahir snapped.

The king simply laughed and tugged him onward. He was up and running, not hearing his charge's small noises of protest as he was dragged after him. Their bare feet slapped softly against the ground, feeling the warm, damp soil, cool rocks, and occasional rough tree roots. Soon, the roots became more frequent, until they were weaving along a slim path through the woods. A carpet of grass and old leaves muffled their footsteps. The fog curled gently around thick trunks of the spicy-sweet smelling pines. When the ground rose into a clear hillside, Zahir grumbled about aching legs, but now had to hide his smile at his knight-master's enthusiasm.

Finally, they reached the top. Jon stretched out on the ground, disregarding the opalescent dew that soaked his clothes. He pointed wordlessly at the heavens, and after a slight hesitation Zahir sat beside him and looked up.

Despite the fog, it was a crystal-clear night, the moon already set, leaving the star-strewn sky to gleam faintly in the velvet black vault that arched overhead. The squire opened his mouth to comment on the beauty of the scene, but before he could, a white-blue streak burned across his field of vision. He started, unconsciously clutching Jon's arm.

“What was that?”

His knight-master smiled. “A comet. Numair told me there would be a shower tonight.” As he spoke, another line brightened the dark. “They're supposed to be omens, portents of great things to come.”

Zahir stared in awe. “Do you think that's true?”

Unbeknownst to his squire, Jon turned his gaze from the sky, studying the Bazhir youth by his side. “You know, I believe I do,” he murmured.


End file.
